Fleming Responds to State of the Union

Mr. President, put down your pen and stop playing politics.

Congressman John Fleming, M.D., released the following statement in response to tonight’s State of the Union speech:

“At the start of his presidency, this president had control of the White House and Congress, and what did he give us? Obamacare and historic deficits. Obamacare has produced a string of broken promises, canceled insurance policies, and skyrocketing health care costs. Our national debt is now $17.2 trillion, that’s $6.5 trillion higher than when he took office. And now the president, lacking control of the House of Representatives, is vowing to skirt congressional authority and enact more bad policies unilaterally.

“Mr. President, put down your pen and tell Senate Democrats to pass some of the dozens of bills that House Republicans have sent over that would spur the economy by cutting job-crushing regulations. Stop playing politics with the Keystone pipeline and finally approve this project that will create thousands of jobs. While you’re at it, let’s have an adult conversation about real entitlement reform so we can finally stop adding to the debt burden on future generations. And as for immigration reform, it’s a non-starter as long as you continue to give us no reason to trust that you would actually enforce even common sense bills aimed at securing our borders.

“Instead of plotting ways to make end runs around Congress, it ought to be time for the President to listen to some of our ideas and work with us on a path forward that will restore people’s hope in the American dream.”

Dr. John Fleming is Chairman of the Natural Resources Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife, Oceans and Insular Affairs and is a member of the House Armed Services Committee. He is a physician and small business owner and represents the 4th Congressional District of Louisiana.